by Brian Clark
The Ace of the Cups: Ursa Minor
The journey of Cups begins with the powerful image of the bear, the most ancient of sacred animals, whose mothering instincts became a timeless motif for safety, nurturing, and protection. Archaeological evidence suggests that the bear has been used as a totem for the protective and fierce mother since the Neolithic period. As protector of the newborn, the she-bear became one of the original images of the Goddess, and by the Classical period the bear had become sacred to Artemis. As the goddess of childbirth and the mistress of animals, Artemis initiated prepubescent girls into her cult of the she-bear. Like Artemis, the bear became associated with the Moon, the astrological symbol connected to the Ace of Cups. By late antiquity, Artemis had become specifically linked with the crescent Moon, the emerging innocent life of the new lunar cycle.
The ritual of “acting the she-bear” was initiated by Artemis, who insisted that these rites be performed to appease her fury over the killing of a bear in her sacred precinct. The cult ritual performed by young girls marked the transitional period between the pre-menstrual phase of girlhood and the entry into womanhood, in preparation for motherhood. As she-bear in the goddess’ sanctuary, young women enacted the primal behavior of a fierce and protective mother. Freud coined this phase “the latency period,” when potent and primal feelings were hibernating, protected by the child’s innocence. The Ace of Cups signals that latent and powerful feelings will emerge during this phase.
The Ace of Cups depicts Ursa Minor ‘the Lesser Bear,’ the constellation closest to the North Pole. When the Greeks projected their images onto the starry skies, their myths linked the constellations of Ursa Minor with Ursa Major. One mythic version suggested the bears of both constellations were Zeus’ nursemaids, Helice and Cynosura, whom he placed in the heavens as the Greater and Lesser Bears. To the Greeks, the myth of Ursa Minor told the story of Arcas, the son of Zeus and Callisto, orphaned after Hera had transformed his mother into a bear. Abandoned in the wild, Arcas was raised by Maia in Arcadia, the land that bore his name. The Romans associated Maia with fertility and growth, and identified her with the great mother-goddess Cybele. During Arcas’ adolescence, fate drew him and his mother together again. While hunting wild beasts Arcas came face to face with his mother. Unable to recognize her in the shape of a bear, he raised his spear to kill what he believed to be a ferocious and menacing force. Zeus intervened to protect Callisto, his former lover, transforming Arcas into a bear like his mother. Sweeping both up in a whirlwind, he then placed them together in the constellations that encompassed the North Pole; Arcas as the Lesser Bear and Callisto as the Greater Bear. Although relinquished into the wild, Arcas is the son of a she-bear. Protected by Zeus and raised by Maia, Arcas reminds us of the protective instinct and the need to be nurtured.
The mother-child separation and loss symbolize creativity or innocence, motifs inherent in both Cancer and the Moon, the astrological rulers of this card. Astrologically, Cancer is the experience of attachment, the mother bond that nurtures us to provide a secure base. With emotional security and unconditional love the child is empowered to confidently venture into the world. Like Cancer, this card symbolizes the need to nurture and care for the new born, whether this be a child, a creative venture, an idea, a new relationship, or even a life change. The inner mother needs to be evoked to protect and care for the fragile beginning. As the first sign in the trinity of water and the first in the suit of Cups, this card represents the initiation of feelings, first impressions, an emotional reaction, or instinctual response that ignites a new experience of love, union, or reunion. The card suggests that the heart is opening, and a transition into a potent new feeling realm is possible. It is necessary to evoke the protective instincts in order to safeguard what is coming into creation.
When the Ace of Cups appears, our instincts are reminding us to be receptive to a new phase of life. The territory is Cups, the waters of the heart; therefore we are called on to nurture and care for what is being created. If we are feeling abandoned or rejected, then the card encourages us to seek the support and sustenance of family and protective friends. The goddess Artemis, protector of the young, oversees this emergent new life force.
The Two of Cups: Ursa Major
The seven stars, which form the tail and lower back of the great she-bear in the constellation Ursa Major, are commonly known as the Big Dipper. The Little Dipper is formed by the stars of Ursa Minor. The suit of Cups aptly represents the constellations depicting celestial cups. Cups symbolize the journeys of the heart, the outpouring of imprisoned emotions, and the hope of being filled with new feelings of love. During the 19th Century, it was the bright northern stars of the Big Dipper that became the runaway slaves’ symbol for freedom and hope for a new beginning. American slaves escaping from the South followed the bright northern constellation to asylum in the North.
Because the star pattern of the Big Dipper is so recognizable, this constellation has been consistently catalogued since ancient times. The seven stars have been seen as plows, ships, and wagons. It was the Greeks who defined the constellation as a bear. Indians of both Asia and North America also imagined it as a bear. Alchemists used the image of the bear to represent the darkness or nigredo of prime matter, the stage where initial reactions and primal instincts began the transformational work. As the goddess who represented the she-bear, the constellation was originally linked to Artemis who protected the young in both childbirth and girlhood. But it was one of Artemis’ hunting companions and priestesses who become the mythic great bear for the ancient Greeks.
Callisto honored her goddess by remaining chaste. However Zeus’ desire for her changed this. Disguising himself as the goddess Artemis, Zeus approached Callisto, whose protective instincts were not on guard, as she had no reason to feel afraid or suspicious. When Zeus was close enough he seized and ravaged her, leaving her pregnant. For months, Callisto concealed her pregnancy from Artemis who eventually discovered the inevitable. Being pregnant, Callisto had relinquished this maiden phase of her life, and could no longer remain in the goddess’s sphere of girlhood. Therefore, the goddess had no choice but to release Callisto from her protection, and was no longer able to guard her development as she had entered the next phase of life. No longer protected by the sacred circle of the goddess Artemis, Callisto now faced new and powerful feelings.
Giving birth to her son Arcas, and becoming a mother, ignited nurturing feelings of love for Callisto. At the same time, Hera unleashed her rage at Callisto for giving birth to her husband’s son. On one pole were feelings of attachment and love, on the other, jealousy and rage. The constellation of these powerful feelings resulted in Callisto’s transformation into a bear and her retreat into the wild.
With the Two of Cups, we enter the second decanate of Cancer, the domain of Pluto, ruler of Scorpio. Here, we are in deep transformational waters, mysterious and unknown. Like a cup, the glyph of Pluto contains the fullness of the moon, the manifestation of the completeness of feeling. In the sign of Cancer, this is experienced as conceiving and giving birth to new emotions. Pluto reminds us that ancient feelings are being transformed and that we need to reorient ourselves to new attachments. Callisto illustrates that life is pregnant with new possibilities, and that we must take responsibility for what we will bring into creation. Inherent in the myth and the card is the juncture between innocence and maturity, caring and intimacy, protecting and letting go. This powerful mix of feelings suggests letting go of youthful ways in order to grow and venture into the next phase of life.
Along with emerging feelings of love and care, there may also be threatening or unfamiliar issues that need to be confronted in order for transformation to occur. The Two of Cups suggests that reconciliation of a severed relationship is possible if the darker feelings are confronted. Pluto’s mythic domain is the underworld where unexpressed toxic feelings fester. When in Pluto’s orbit, stark honesty and integrity are necessary co
mponents for the pathway forward. The two cups alert us to the potential duality and paradox. When a new phase of feeling has begun, we must be aware of the full spectrum of emotions that will be part of the transition.
Ursa Major is a northern polar constellation. In the natural wheel of the northern horoscope, Cancer’s direction is also north. At the Two of Cups, our feelings have reached their peak and are about to be transformed. In this card, we embrace the polarity of feelings that usher in a new phase of relating, protected by the goddess’ surrogate mother, the Great She-Bear. On an oracular level, this card suggests an important relationship will be transformed through the emergence of deeper feelings, honesty, and integrity.
The Three of Cups: The Argo
To the ancients, the constellation of Argo Navis was the great ship in the section of the sky associated with the sea. Mariners invested the constellation with images of fateful and heroic voyages across unchartered waters to lands unknown. By the time man began to charter unknown territories the great constellation of the Argo became segmented. Today, its constituent star groups are designated as Carina, the keel of the ship; Puppis, its stern; and Vela, its sails. Before these actual sea voyages, the ancients imagined a great vessel carrying Osiris and Isis, or Jason and his Argonauts. It was the Greeks who saw the great seafaring vessel as the Argo, the ship that carried the heroes on their search for the Golden Fleece.
Under Athena’s aegis the Argo was constructed with the rich timbers from Mount Pelion in Thessaly and the sacred oak of Zeus’ oracular sanctuary. On Mount Pelion was the cave sanctuary of the wise centaur Chiron. As an infant, Jason was taken to Chiron’s cave to be raised. Under the physician-warrior’s tutelage, Jason was educated in the ancient skills of healing and heroism. Athena animated the Argo with the gift of prophetic speech through the sacred oak and encouraged fifty heroic volunteers to enlist on Jason’s voyage into the unknown. The ancient epic Argonautica narrates the archetypal sea voyage.
From ancient times, the boat symbolized the protective womb or cradle, carrying the hero across transitional waters. Crossing over water became an image employed by the classical writers for journeying into the unknown, the ship facilitating the journey between two distinct worlds. The boat has also been likened to the crescent Moon or the cup, which contained the ego, as it was tossed about on the seas. The Argo was the ship that carried Jason on his perilous journey across the Black Sea. Yet it also facilitated his fateful encounter with Medea. As Jason’s lover, she accompanied him on the return voyage bringing her knowledge of herbal pharmaceuticals and magical incantations into Greece. The story of Jason and Medea is emotionally charged. Falling in love with her hero, Medea abandoned her family, betraying her father and brother to help her lover. After their marriage, Jason betrayed and abandoned Medea, who took revenge by destroying his most precious and loved attachments, his own children.
The Argo also became the vehicle for the hero’s death. After betraying Medea, destroying his children and his reputation, Jason returned to the Isthmus of Corinth where the Argo had been beached. Jason had turned his back on the love that had enabled him to be heroic. Attempting to relive his past triumphs and reclaim his heroic status Jason sat in the abandoned Argo. Without warning the prow of the ship broke, falling on him and killing him instantaneously. The Argo was then set amongst the southern heavens as a reminder to respect and honor the sea journey.
The Three of Cups reminds us of the complex constellation of feelings that shift our loyalties away from the family system and onto the hero-lover. The Argo is the vessel that symbolizes leaving familial ground and encountering life outside our safety zone. But it also reminds us that when we attach to others outside the familial circle we unwittingly will repeat family patterns. The Three of Cups marks the maturing of feeling. Consciousness and acceptance of feelings are now necessary for a successful relationship.
The Three of Cups represents the final phase of Cancer, the decanate ruled by Neptune. The glyph for the planet Neptune resembles the trident of the sea god, which could summon water, even from parched land. This combination of Neptune and Cancer reveres the divinity in all life, alerting us to respect the full spectrum of feelings. The waters of the feeling life begin in the family and flow through into all our relationships. Sacrificing one attachment for another may lead to deception, betrayal, and chaos as Medea experienced. Unlike Jason, we must return to the Argo with respect for the experience of love. When the Three of Cups appears in a spread, the unconscious is alerting us to the complexity of feelings which love ignites, and cautions us to be aware of enmeshment and triangulation in our relationships.
The Four of Cups: Serpens
The Four of Cups crosses the cusp into Scorpio, water’s second zodiacal sign, represented by the constellation of Serpens, the heavenly serpent. This snake coils around Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer of the constellation we will meet in the next card. Since antiquity, astronomers have catalogued the constellation as two separate parts: Caput Serpens, the head of the Snake, and Cauda Serpens, the Tail of the Snake. This distinction is consistent with the serpentine mysteries of illness and health.
Before the snake was projected onto the heavens, its symbolism included healing, magic, resurrection, strength, evil, and spiritual awakening. Even in contemporary times, the psychic impact of this image is a consistent symbol in dreams, literature, film, and art. Invested with the energy of both the divine and the demonic, the snake was associated with the feminine. Throughout Mediterranean cultures, it was often depicted as a companion of female deities whose power was equally terrifying and transforming. Cretan priestesses carried the snake, Hygeia fed the snakes in the healing sanctuaries, and a temple snake offered Cassandra the gift of prophecy by biting her. Underworld goddesses were often animated as a snake or partially adorned with snakes. They came to represent the powerful, life-altering, erotic side of the denied feminine expression; the snake embodying these repressed aspects in a projected negative form. Coiling around the Tree of Knowledge was Lilith as the snake, Eve’s alter ego. In the lair of the Gorgons was Medusa, whose crown of snakes and gaze of death was the underworld aspect of Athena’s victorious and civilized ego. With the advent of civilization, the snake became a potent symbol for the repressed feminine. The mysteries of life, death and rebirth, Eros and Union, instinctual knowing, and potent wisdom were projected onto the snake and embodied in the transforming sign of Scorpio.
When the Greeks looked at their celestial screen, they saw Serpens belonging to Asclepius, the serpent bearer, the divine son of Apollo, and the god of healing. Snakes were sacred in Asclepius’ cult, revered in his healing sanctuaries. When new healing sanctuaries were established, sacred snakes were transported from the main temple at Epidaurus to as far away as Pergamon and Rome. As the herald of health, the snake was an image of hope for recovery as it was the sacred surrogate of the god of healing. Since the classical period, it has remained the visual motif for the medical tradition. The doctor’s insignia is the caduceus, which depicts snakes coiling around the staff of the god-like Serpens, reminding us of the divine mystery of healing.
In the healing cult of Asclepius the central ritual was dream incubation. The suppliant, seeking healing at one of Asclepius’ sanctuaries, would sleep in the temple and await a dream. As a surrogate of the healing god, the appearance of the snake in a patient’s dream would be welcomed as an epiphany of Asclepius, and a portent of recovery and healing. Restoration to health occurred through reconnection to the soul’s source of life and by contact with the Divine. Ancient documents recording the patient’s dreams suggested that the dream snake either pointed to the wound or bit the dreamer where the body was diseased. As an agent of the soul, the snake cleanses the poisons, by embracing the wounded aspects of the self. The snakebite represented a homeopathic vaccination, the poison being a preventative cure.
The Four of Cups alerts us to the profound mysteries of the serpent with its astrolo
gical representative, Scorpio, and its ruler, Pluto. The waters of Scorpio are deep, invisible to the naked eye, and form the underworld of conscious life. Pluto was regent of the dark realm, yet the ancients called him Plutus, the wealthy one. Underworld wealth was the magic and mystery of rebirth, the inevitability of spring, and a new cycle of life. Scorpio and Pluto are the astrological archetypes, which initiate us into these mysteries through the pain of loss. Passages of grief are terrifying yet transformational. Healing develops as the feelings are purged through an honest confrontation with the contents of our underworld.
On an oracular level, the Four of Cups card suggests that there are feelings that we must confront or risk ill health. Unattended feelings from the past feed suspicion and insecurity. No doubt there is fear in risking betrayal, abandonment, loss, or even rage. Yet by refusing to confront them, they become poisonous, keeping us a prisoner in the underworld. Serpens reminds us of the transformational journey which begins with our honesty and integrity. The Four of Cups is the snake, the soul’s surrogate that offers us the homeopathic remedy; to heal the wound we must first acknowledge it.